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Apple is considering releasing a foldable iPad in the future, according to a paywalled preview of an upcoming DigiTimes report shared today.

foldpad-filmic-twitter.jpg

"Apple, who is rumored to have been working on foldable smartphones for several years, reportedly is considering extending the effort to the tablet sector," the preview says, citing sources from the upstream supply chain.

The report corroborates existing rumors about a foldable iPad. In January, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo predicted that a foldable iPad would launch in 2024, but Bloomberg's Mark Gurman and Display Supply Chain Consultants CEO Ross Young said they had not heard anything about such a device at the time. Kuo said the foldable iPad would feature an all-new design and a lightweight and durable carbon fiber kickstand.

Like foldable smartphones from brands such as Samsung and Google, a foldable iPad would have a hinge that allows the device to be opened and closed like a book, resulting in a much larger display than existing models when it is unfolded. A foldable iPad would likely be positioned above the 12.9-inch iPad Pro, which starts at $1,099.

Apple has yet to release any devices with foldable displays, but rumors suggest the company is considering all options over the long term, including a foldable iPhone, iPad, and Mac. It remains to be seen if Apple ever releases any of these devices, or if the plans will remain limited to the research and development stage.

Article Link: Apple Considering Foldable iPad, According to Supply Chain Sources
 
Apple has yet to release any devices with foldable displays, but rumors suggest the company is considering all options over the long term, including a foldable iPhone, iPad, and Mac.
A foldable Mac (desktop)? How would that work?

If by Mac you mean MacBook, yeah, that already folds. 🤣
 
Presumably they won't do this 'just because' so I'm interested to see what the rationale for making this is. It could be as simple as making a ~13" iPad more portable, or it could open up some new or novel use cases?
 
All I know is, I won’t be an early adopter of this experiment. My next iPad upgrade will definitely be a traditional iPad Pro. Hopefully they push the screen size to 14.1 inch. It’s long overdue especially with desktop features like stage manager and some rudimentary windowing. And also, move to OLED for the deeper blacks and power efficiency.
 
It’s an iPad. It’s a mini.
That some can’t see a market for it is funny - when you consider what Apple sees as a market or when looking across their product offerings. Why not add another iPad to the already crowded mix?

Jokes aside: I love my mini. There are times, drawing, where a larger iPad would be better. I could see a market for a supper portable iPad (mini) that offers more scene when needed.

That said, I struggle with current foldable implementations. I know they’re all the rage, in some corners, but I’m not yet convinced. A phone that unfolds to an iPad mini seems likely more desirable than a mini that unfolds to a larger iPad. Anywho…
 
I have an iPad Mini - small without folding. iPhone Mini even smaller that includes a phone.
Then I have a foldable Mac - MacBook Air with a real keyboard.
I am good.

Think it still will take awhile before these foldable's will be interesting, at least for me. They look ugly.
But innovation is always welcome, it just doesn’t hit the target immediately.
 
I keep reading that it’s dumb, “why?”, there’s no need for it, etc.

From my point of view, just because you don’t feel you’d use it, doesn’t make it a bad idea.

Just like with iPads and some other products, the use cases starting popping up after the product was released.

Will it be a hit? Who knows? I do know that I’ll be first in line for this and I could see myself using this much more than a Vision Pro - To me that’s more of a useless gimmick that a foldable but that’s just due to my use case.
 
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